Keene weather in December

In December, Keene sees average daytime highs of 35°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 4.0 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 32°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Keene's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Keene's year-round climate.

Daytime high
35°
10th warmest
Overnight low
21°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
4.0 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
8 h 48 min
7:20 AM – 4:11 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.53 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Keene is city in New Hampshire, United States.

Density
240/km²
people per km²
Founded
1736

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 32°F by the end.

A typical December day in Keene reaches about 35°F in the afternoon and slips back to 21°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°F and 48°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and about 5°F warmer than January.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14026
23925
33925
43824
53824
63824
73723
83723
93622
103622
113622
123521
133521
143521
153520
163520
173420
183420
193420
203419
213419
223419
233319
243319
253319
263318
273318
283318
293218
303218
313217

How December really feels in Keene

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
23 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Keene weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 14°3.19.57.19.20.0
Feb33° / 15°2.98.7710.20.0
Mar41° / 24°3.710.76.211.60.3
Apr54° / 36°3.6112.413.13.2
May65° / 46°3.111.30.114.45.6
Jun75° / 55°3.411.9015.16.4
Jul80° / 61°3.310014.86.5
Aug78° / 59°3.29.5013.86.8
Sep71° / 51°3.48.6012.36.7
Oct58° / 40°4.09.60.510.84.3
Nov46° / 31°3.39.62.59.51.1
Dec35° / 21°4.010.16.28.90.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33862
43961
53862
63862
73862
83862
93862
103961
113862
123862
133862
143763
153763
163664
173763
183763
193763
203763
213862
223862
233961
243961
253961
264060
274060
284060
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Keene gets around 4.0 in of rain and snow over 10.1 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13316
23316
33317
43318
53319
63319
73320
83321
93322
103322
113323
123323
133323
143323
153323
163322
173322
183321
193321
203220
213220
223219
233219
243219
253219
263218
273219
283219
293219
303219
313220

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 7 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237light breeze
247light breeze
257light breeze
267light breeze
277light breeze
288light breeze
297light breeze
307light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:07 AM to 7:26 AM, and sunset from 4:11 PM to 4:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:074:11
29.07:084:11
39.07:094:10
49.07:104:10
59.07:114:10
69.07:124:10
79.07:134:10
88.97:144:10
98.97:144:10
108.97:154:10
118.97:164:10
128.97:174:10
138.97:184:10
148.97:184:10
158.97:194:10
168.87:204:11
178.87:204:11
188.87:214:11
198.87:224:12
208.87:224:12
218.87:234:12
228.87:234:13
238.87:244:13
248.87:244:14
258.87:244:14
268.87:254:15
278.87:254:16
288.87:254:16
298.97:264:17
308.97:264:18
318.97:264:18

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.53 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.53 kWh/m² to a high of 5.91 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.53 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Keene?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Keene.

What to pack for Keene in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Keene sees daytime highs around 35°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Keene in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Keene peaks around July 12 at about 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 12UV 7Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun7High
Jul8Very high
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Keene?

Keene sits at 42.9°N, 72.3°W, 486 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Gardner, 29 mi away.

Topography around Keene

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Keene.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Keene has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 610 ft around an average of 600 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,910 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,855 ft.

The land around Keene is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (91%) within 10 miles, and trees (93%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
610 ft
10 miles
2,910 ft
50 miles
3,855 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Gardner 29 mi · Greenfield 29 mi · Fitchburg 34 mi · Bedford 39 mi · Leominster 39 mi · Merrimack 40 mi · Amherst Center 40 mi · Amherst 41 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Keene (42.9337°, -72.2781°, elevation 486 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).